Les Misérables - Sondheim Theatre

Very shouty, no?

I didn't think so - he's at least more age appropriate than Bradley and a more menacing presence for me

So who will take over from her on the tour?
Any guesses?

Does Luke McCall do the matinee or evening as JVJ on Thursdays?

thanks for any help....

Just the evening

Also, there isn't a matinee on Thursdays. There is a matinee on Wednesdays. The schedule change to include a Thursday matinee only comes into effect after cast change and Luke is leaving.

Seeing today’s matinee… cast change is in a few weeks isn’t it?

Good-o. Does the 38 bus EVER run on time? Like, ever?

I believe it was Jessie Hart so maybe she's had to end her contract early or something.

huh, interesting. Cover order swap potentially?

Strap yourselves in folks, this will be a long post. It’s more bloggy than a review and there is lots of waffle, but I feel the need to note *everything* after such a great day out.

I saw Wednesday’s matinee (7/9/22) at the Sondheim. My Mum was desperate to see the show again, as it’s both of our favourite musical. I’ve seen the show personally somewhere in the 50-100 times region and know lots of people associated with the show, so forgive me when I go into minutiae.

We sat in the Dress Circle, row A (front) in the middle. These are absolutely the best seats in the house. I usually sit in the front stalls. Tickets were £75 each (usually premium price for slightly less than double) and worth every single penny. You are so close to the stage, yet have a fantastic view of absolutely everything. Mum is 5’0 and has disabilities, and didn’t need to lean forward/booster seat or anything. I can’t imagine sitting anywhere else now - and it only took me about 60 visits to the Queen’s/Sondheim to discover them…

Bumped into Sam Hiller (Resident Director) on the way into the theatre, who did an admirable job at pretending to recognise me from previous work together.

Wow. Just wow. What an absolutely outstanding performance - this show is in phenomenal nick and was electric from start to finish. Astonishing to consider most of this cast are weeks away from finishing their contracts - they looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

This was my first time seeing the new West End production, although I had seen the tour multiple times, which is in earnest pretty much identical in sets and direction. Unlike the tour, where I felt at times some
of the changes were somewhat too broad, this new production “fits” the revamped theatre like a glove. It just feels so at home - dare I say more than “Les Mis Lite” did after the transfer from the Palace Theatre.

We saw the following cast;

Jean Valjean - Chris Jacobsen (2nd cover)
Javert - Bradley Jaden
Fantine - Jessica Joslin (1st cover)
Thénardier - Gerard Carey
Mme. Thénardier - Josefina Gabrielle
Cosette - Charlie Burn
Marius - Harry Apps
Enjolras - Jordan Shaw
Éponine - Mared Williams (2nd cover)
Kids - Harry Newby (Gavroche), Bonnie Harper (Little Cosette), Sicily De Bernardini (Little Éponine)

Rodney Earl Clarke was off, with Leo Miles in a fabulous wig playing the Bishop of Digne.

Christopher Jacobsen as Valjean is absolutely wonderful. He has aged beautifully into the role since I last saw him. Vocally he has improved massively too (the old mantra, never stop learning!) and his acting is wonderful. I really, really liked his performance and I think I know why. He basically is John Owen-Jones MK II. Both are Welsh, look very similar, have very similar cadences in their voices and intonation. Both came through having understudied/played Enjolras. Jacobsen’s show-stopping “Bring Him Home” was like JOJ had channelled him for the duration.

I hope I am not doing Chris a disservice, as it is meant as the highest possible praise. Many (most?) who have seen him consider JOJ as definitive. Chris was in touching distance. He was quite, quite superb.

Bradley Jaden… well… I am not quite sure what to make of Bradley Jayden’s Javert. When I last saw the show, prior to lockdown in the original staging, he was desperately poor if truth be told. Strange acting decisions, a very curious accent which wavers between Australian and Dutch… If I’m honest and not too overexcited with how brilliant the show was generally, then many of these problems have remained.

If Jacobsen is JOJ, Jaden is desperate to be Philip Quast. Which is distracting more than it is harmful to the show, because you can’t help but wonder why he makes the choices he does. But then… “Stars” happens and everything is immediately forgotten. He absolutely smashed it out of the park - the best I’ve heard it sung as Javert since Hans-Peter Janssens back in circa. 2006. Partial standing ovation from the Dress Circle (yes, seriously, at a Wednesday matinee). Interestingly, his “Quast” voice completely disappears for the duration of this song, and from the majority of the rest of the show thereafter. (It makes one brief unwelcome return later; “How raaaaight you should kill with a knaaaaife”.

Jessica Joslin is fine as Fantine for the most part. She struggled quite badly with the lowest notes in “I Dreamed a Dream” - “but the tigers come at night, with their voices soft as thunder. As they tear your hopes apart”. She has a sweet voice and her acting was fine, but she really came into her own in her death scene, which was the first of many times I was moved to tears at this performance.

Gerard Carey and the ever terrific Josefina Gabrielle (does this lady ever not deliver?!) are an absolute hoot as the Thénardiers. They have a blast, get genuine laughs out of what is now very old material, and frankly I can’t think of a better pairing I’ve ever seen in all my years as a fan of this show.

Harry Apps as Marius… well… it’s certainly a “big” performance at this stage! Every gesture is broad, he is like a hyperactive puppy. And I actually really liked it! His Marius is dopey, goofy and child-like in energy, but backs it with an excellent and controlled vocal performance. There were a few times I had to stifle a bit of a giggle when it got just the wrong side of panto (the ABC cafe) but it wasn’t bad… just different! Reminded me of Gary Tushaw with a better voice and more… *ahem*… genuine affection for Cosette. Then, as with Jaden’s “Stars”, he shows what he’s all about when it really matters with a beautiful, earnest and low-key “A Little Fall of Rain”.

Charlie Burn is a sweet Cosette, she has this cute trilling little soprano, like a hummingbird. She is earnest and likeable, without being too “wet behind the ears”. I liked her.

Which brings me to a key point I loved about this cast and the musical direction thereof, the variety of voices and styles throughout the cast. It’s a wonderful thing to hear and see individuality in Les Mis, without sacrificing the integrity of the score and therefore the storytelling of the character’s journeys. Charlie Burn’s voice is unique and isn’t interchangeable with Éponine, as is so often the case.

Which brings me to Jordan Shaw’s Enjolras which I absolutely loved. The guy has a unique voice, unique presence - and he looks so young! Looking at his credits I thought he was a new graduate, but he already has a strong CV and must be at least in his mid to late 20’s. I wouldn’t put him a day over 19. He is powerful, confident and vocally very strong. I did have to laugh a little at one moment which didn’t “work” though, at the end of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” as they exit upstage, he appeared to be doing resembling a dance. It was just a little camp and not in keeping with the meaning of the moment. But it got a little laugh from a few around us, and made him even more likeable.

Finally, and I’ve been saving this one on purpose. Mared Williams as Éponine. Second cover? How good must the principal be?! This girl is going places. She is - and I very rarely use this word - perfect as Éponine. Her acting, her singing (WHAT a voice)… I can’t rave enough. She is a future star - give her Elphaba ASAP please. At the interval, I said “I can’t wait for the second Act, “On My Own” is going to be spectacular”.

And it was. The biggest ovation of the show, she smashed it out of the park. Emotion without shouting, acting without gurning. This is the benchmark for modern Éponine’s. Comfortably the best ‘Ponine I’ve seen live. The second best was also a second cover. Strange!!!

That’s the cast covered, about the show? I don’t know how to structure this so here are some disjointed thoughts;

- Everyone was “on”. Just watching the cast in group numbers like “At the End of the Day”, Barricades, ABC Cafe, et al - this is a very strong and hard-working cast. Unselfish too, they are switched on and not just waiting for their turn (which sadly I’ve noticed far too often at this show in the past).

- In a permanent home, the lighting was considerably better than the three tour venues I saw the show at. Scenes like ABC Cafe in particular were very dark on tour, but are beautifully lit now.

- Likewise, it sounds absolutely fantastic. Nice and loud! Mic levels are perfect, the band sound superb. It was everything Phantom wasn’t in that regard. And don’t get me started on Wicked, which is being played to the auditorium through those cheap plug-in speakers you got for your Walkman.

- The new staging, whilst not “new” to me blew my Mum away. She said she actually *preferred* the new sets, considering it is her favourite show already, that’s pretty amazing. It looks very slick.

- I still love the new arrangements. The start and end of “Valjean’s Soliloquy” come to find as a big improvement. Really adds gravitas.

- Why does one little table in the Thénardiers inn require its own track?!

A couple of negatives, such as they are;

- Bradley Jaden in particular tends to drop sung notes at the end of a phrase, either talking them or missing the note. “Can this be true, I don’t believe what I see” as an example - “true” and “see” are actually scored and it felt a tad lazy to mark through them. There were numerous examples of this.

- As a consequence of the new staging/lack of revolve, sadly a few of my favourite visual moments in the show are lost to history. Specifically; when Cosette and Éponine “meet” at the gate, that little mirror moment of recognition. Similarly, Enjolras’s death doesn’t have quite the same impact (though I did love his faceplant off the barricade onto a crash mat - I hope!). The BHH instrumental as the barricade rotates with Javert searching the bodies is a big loss. Other tiny moments like the Thénardiers popping out of the trapdoor are missed too.



I was sniffling throughout, had goosebumps in some really superb moments (“Who Am I”) really got me this time, thanks to a superb Valjean.

The audience were superb. Not a free seat in the Dress Circle and stalls was packed. All levels open and very busy. Not a phone in sight, not a word from anyone during the performance. Not even sweet wrappers! This is a show which is absolutely thriving.

Very enthusiastic audience too, applause and cheers at all the right moments, a partial standing ovation after “Stars” and a full, unforced standing ovation at the curtain call. Wow.

Finally, what a brilliantly run and well staffed theatre. Ushers, security, everyone had big genuine smiles. The staff couldn’t do enough (not that we needed much). Friendly, helpful, polite - everything a West End theatre should offer as an experience.

The refurb is very welcome - additional toilets (all immaculate), additional staffing levels. I can’t praise this theatre enough.


I had lost interest somewhat in LM after some dubious casting and a general staleness. I’ll be back before the end of the year to see the new cast. I can’t stop thinking about the show and replaying it in my mind, which is always a sign something was special.

5* + - this was outstanding.

I saw Les Mis yesterday and it started with a minutes silence.The cast were:

Jean Valjean - Chris Jacobsen (2nd cover)
Javert - Bradley Jaden
Fantine - Jessica Joslin (1st cover)
Thénardier - Gerard Carey
Mme. Thénardier - Josefina Gabrielle
Cosette - Charlie Burn
Marius - Harry Apps
Enjolras - Jordan Shaw
Eponine - Sha Dessi

Having seen the show many times, probably almost 20 I have to disagree with the above comments as without doubt this was the worst production I have seen. The new staging has in my view ruined what was such a great show and the pared down cast and the way some of the songs seem to be rephrased in their delivery does the score no favours. The Thenardiers performance did not seem to have the usual response from the audience,and I Dreamed a dream was the worst vocal I have heard it sung. Added to this we hasd to be moved because the sound quality at the front of the stalls was atrocious. Suffice to say I will not be returning. Bradley did a great job with Stars but sadly the high points were lacking. Our other show the previous evening Mamma Mia was the reverse and one of the best casts I have seen.

Any questions or anything I somehow didn’t cover, feel free to ask 😂